Thread-leaf aralia is the easiest houseplant to grow and maintain. The indoor plant can endure harsh growing conditions for few days without becoming fussy. But it can be frustrating to see your threadleaf aralia dropping leaves despite providing the necessary care.
So, why is my threadleaf aralia dropping leaves? The possible causes are inconsistent watering habits, low humidity, low lighting condition, and temperature stress. Other minor causes are pest infestations and diseases.
Threadleaf aralia is a sensitive indoor plant and will drop its leaves if the growing condition changes. The information in this article will help you identify the exact causes and respective fixing tips.
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Reasons Why Your Threadleaf Aralia Is Dropping Leaves
Most aralia species are sensitive plants and will drop their leaves if stressed. But threadleaf aralia leaves dropping issue is fixable. Extreme growing condition change can cause irreversible damages and death to the houseplant.
Be sure to identify the exact cause of leaf drop before implementing measures to fix it. Below are some of the issues that might be causing leaves on your threadleaf aralia to drop. Take the time to read through each cause and its respective solution.
Inconsistent Watering Habits
All aralia species thrive in potting soil with consistent moisture. Dry potting soil makes the indoor plant limp and droopy. The leaves also begin to drop in the long run.
The leaf drop is a mechanism that helps threadleaf aralia to reduce the surface area for water loss. The phenomenon also helps the plant save on the remaining water for survival.
Be sure to soak the potting soil with water until the excess runs through the drainage holes. The trick will help to rehydrate the plant and prevent leaf dropping issues.
The golden rule of watering threadleaf aralia should begin with soil moisture inspection. It is the best option to avoid issues related to overwatering.
Inadequate Humidity around the Plant
Dry air around the threadleaf aralia will cause leaf drop issues. Low humidity encourages a high transpiration rate to cause excessive water loss from the plant.
Most aralia species flourish when the humidity level is above 60 percent. Consist misting the plant leaves with distilled water to boost the humidity level around them.
Another excellent option is to install a humidifier (Check Best Deals on Amazon) to help detect humidity fluctuations. The method also helps to prevent other leaf-related problems.
Extreme Temperature Changes
Threadleaf aralia prefers a temperature range of 65-85oF. The condition guarantees development of beautiful and healthy foliages.
The hot or cold temperature will stress the houseplant and trigger leaf drop. Freezing temperatures tend to cause severe damages than hot temperatures.
Keep the indoor plant away from cold drafts, heaters, and air conditioners. It is the best way of saving your threadleaf aralia from leaf dropping problem.
I recommend installing a digital thermometer (Check Best Deals on Amazon) to help in detecting or monitoring indoor temperature change.
Abrupt Lighting Changes
Threadleaf aralia plant loves medium to bright indirect sunlight. The natural light enables the houseplant to undertake vital physiological processes.
But sudden lighting changes might stress your indoor plant and cause leaf drop problems. The issue is prevalent among those people who keep moving their plants from bright to dim lighting.
I recommend maintaining constant light levels to avoid leaf-dropping issues. Be sure to choose a suitable growing condition to avoid lighting dynamics.
Low lighting conditions can cause severe leggy appearance. Consider installing LED Grow Light (Check Best Deals on Amazon) to ensure equal light distribution to the indoor plant.
Plant Infections and Diseases
Threadleaf aralia plants are less vulnerable to infections and diseases. But this does not imply that the aralia species is invincible to infections and diseases.
The improper growing condition makes the houseplant susceptible to pseudomonas leaf blight and Alternaria leaf spot. These diseases are characterized by leaf dropping and moist lesions.
Treating these plant diseases is not easy. I recommend providing ultimate indoor plant care to prevent these diseases. Keep the foliages dry to prevent bacterial and fungal growth.
Insect Infestations
Threadleaf aralia plants are less vulnerable to pest infestations. Spider mites, aphids, and mealybugs are the most common insects attacking the houseplant.
These sap-sucking insects usually stress and weaken the vital leaf tissues through the frequent piercing. The affected leaves turn yellow and eventually drop or fall off.
Provide proper threadleaf aralia plant care to prevent insect infestation. Another excellent option is to apply insecticidal soap (Check Best Deals on Amazon) to treat the infestation.
Acclimation Issue
When you bring threadleaf aralia at home, there is a huge change in growing condition. The aralia species will respond by dropping the leaves as it tries to acclimate to the new change.
Most of the foliage dropping effect is due to the adjustment to new growing conditions, and some might be due to stress. There is no need to worry in case of mild foliage loss.
Provide ultimate aralia plant care to reduce the rate of leaf loss. If your threadleaf aralia continues to drop leaves, take the time to investigate the cause of the issue.
Transplant Stress
If your threadleaf aralia is dropping leaves after re-potting, there is no need to worry much. The transplant process usually stresses the plant, especially after manipulating the roots.
Be sure to re-pot the plant to a better container and proper potting mix. The plant will take few weeks to recover and stop dropping the leaves. Provide proper threadleaf aralia plant care.
Overwatering Stress
Overwatering is the first suspicion if the threadleaf aralia is dropping leaves. The damp environment puts the roots under pressure and eventually causes root rot disease.
The threadleaf aralia plant begins to drop leaves since the roots no longer absorb water and nutrients to nourish them. Be sure to use proper potting soil with better drainage to avoid sogginess.
Repot the plant to fresh potting soil and container with drainage holes at the bottom. Schedule a strict watering routine to avoid overwatering the houseplant again.
Final Thoughts
If your threadleaf aralia plant is dropping leaves, do not panic. Instead, take the time to examine the houseplant and its growing condition.
The chance of detecting the problem is high, and this will help to determine the cause. Try to improve the threadleaf aralia care routine to stop leaves from dropping.
The good news is that most aralia species are resilient and can strive to thrive regardless of their growing conditions. Use the tips in the guide to stop your threadleaf aralia from dropping leaves.
